Yesterday was an incredible day. A friend from the theatre company called to say "it's cold, but the ground is frozen and the sun is out, let's go on our tour today". I was thrilled as she is a member of the family Fairbank, one of the founders of oil in North America.
Remember the show dallas? Jr Ewing was a fictional character on the show, but he existed for real in these parts. Given the right conditions, and you can smell the sulphery sweet stuff for yourself. there used to be five or six derricks in my very own backyard back in the late 1800's. And, yes, you do get used to the smell after a while, and yes, I have tasted it. Just yesterday as a matter of fact. Yesterday, the boys and I became unofficial hard-oilers thanks to our gracious hostess Sylvia Fairbank. Ok, so she had to do it first, and it was unbelievably salty (and also sweet) and oily but it made for an incredible birthday surprise for Jonam. And boy was it cold out there!
She took us to the Oil Museum in Oil Springs then off to see the jerker lines still running smoothly, on her brother's property on Gypsy Flats Road and Gumbed Line (no. I am not making those names up). The technology is still the same as it was in 1860. No need to change much except the addition of electric motors (only three horse-power each). Charlie Fairbank is the last living oil baron, still producing, from a long line of those hard-working families that made the initial discovery. He produces between 1/16th and 1 barrel of oil daily. It used to run anywhere between 5 and 10 barrels a day back when things were good. Fascinating stuff. Information overload. It will take me a lifetime to learn as much as Sylvia tried to teach us yesterday. I love her zest for life and her willingness to talk to us about days gone by. And she is always smiling. And she happens to love the kind of education my boys are privileged to receive at my hand. As a matter of fact, our heritage firehall home was once owned by her great uncle.
While driving in her car yesterday afternoon, Evan said "this is so much better than school" and, simultaneously, Sylvia and I said "this IS school!"
This summer marks the 150 anniversary of the first commercial oil well in North America. We tried the spring board just yesterday. 1858 in oil town. Jonam is in a play called Alice in Oil Town (the history of our town based on Alice in Wonderland) and I am in Perils at Petrolia, or: Dastardly Doings at the Derrick or: Foiled by Oil. My play runs Easter weekend; Jonam's is in April.
Hope you can come see us this year. You won't want to miss out. And if your foot accidentally gets stuck in a gumbed? Well, we have a spare room just waiting for you.
